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My Pages On Different Subjects which Hyperlinked to all my Blog Posts

Thursday, 21 August 2014

Kazakhstan: Birth Place of Apples : Country of Natural Beauty and Minerals.

Kazakhstan:

Sandwiched
at the crossroads of Asia and Europe, Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country on
the planet, and (at one time) was the second largest republic in the
former Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.)

130 ethnic groups:

130 ethnic groups:

130 ethnic groups: Kazakh, Uzbek, Russian,
Ukrainian, Donggan, German, Greek, Korean, Belarusian and Chechenian, to name
just a few. They are now all making a joint effort to build their common
homeland

As a part of the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics, it developed into
a regional nuclear power, and hundreds of said weapons were detonated (tested)
within its borders in the mid-to-late 1900s.

After the collapse of the U,S.S.R., it gained independence in 1991, and subsequently
negotiated with the U.S (a significant financial settlement) for the
total disarmament of its nuclear arsenal.

Almost surrounded by China and the Russian Federation, its abundance of natural
resources (especially oil and gas) have put this relatively new country
on the front burner of international investors and multilateral corporations.

The Baikonur Cosmodrome the world's oldest and largest working space launch
facility, (under Russian control) is located about 200 km to the east of
the Aral Sea, on the north bank of the Syr Darya River.

Syr Darya River

Amu Darya and Syr Darya Rivers

Although a part of the Space Age, many significant internal problems must be
solved in Kazakhstan if it is to make any serious economic progress; important
ones include a decaying infrastructure (especially in the rural areas),
an isolated geographical position with no direct access to an ocean, wavering
relationships with China and Russia, and its easy-to-understand political
resistance to change.

Kazakhstan's government is stable, and it seems only a matter of time before
this massive land emerges aggressively onto the world's stage.

Facts and Figures

Population 15,185,000

Currency Tenge (KZT)

Religions Muslim (47%), Russian Orthodox 44%)

Relative Location Kazakhstan is in both the northern and eastern hemisphere
Positioned in western Asia, the country is bordered by the Russian Federation,
China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

1. Kazahstan is the 9th largest country by size in the world. It’s
a huge place with a very small population of only 16 million people.

2. It’s the largest landlocked country in the world, with Russian
to its North, China to the West, Uzbekistan down South and the Caspian Sea on
its Western Border.

The capital of Kazakhstan is Astana

3. The capital of Kazakhstan is Astana, in the central Northern
region of the country. It’s a relatively new city with a fancy, over-the-top
skyline!

4. Kazakhstan was part of the former USSR and has been independent
since 1991. It is an authoritarian regime with the same man at the helm since
that time. Opposition parties are squashed and freedom of the press is a
foreign concept.

5. The country is a melting pot, in part because Stalin deported
many different ethnicities here during his rule. There are more than 131
different ethnic groups living in Kazakhstan. Kazakhs are about 65% of the
population, up from 40% in 1991.

Kazakhs Language Percentage in Kazakhstan

Jesus Friend of Children in Kazakh language

6. Russians have declined in numbers drastically since
independence. Those that we spoke with said they feel less welcome and that
it’s harder to get a job now (Kazakh language is a requirement for all
government jobs and many others as well; it’s generally not spoken by
Russians).

7. The Soviet Union suffered greatly in WWII, with losses nearing
30 millions (soldiers and civilians), the most of any country. There are
monuments everywhere in memory of the lost ones.

Baikonur Cosmodome

Baikonur Cosmodome

8. Kazakhstan is home to the Baikonur Cosmodome, the world’s first
and largest space launch facility. It is leased by the Russians until 2050.

The primary city is not Astana but Almaty

The Shabyt Palace of Art is the most remarkable part of the Kazakh National University of Arts

The presidential palace was designed to resemble the White House in Washington D.C.

The 100-meter-tall tower has been compared to a giant lollipop and is meant to evoke the local legend of the Tree of Life

9. The primary city is not Astana but Almaty, in the SE. It’s a
scenic city of 1.5 million people with snow-capped mountains on the horizon,
beautiful buildings and modern conveniences.

Almaty has a brand-new Metro System that opened in 2011

10. Almaty has a brand-new Metro System that opened in 2011. There
are currently seven stations and they are all individually decorated and
designed. Very fancy for a subway! It was about 50 cents per ride for adults
(all destinations are the same price).

11. The women of Kazakhstan are often dress very stylishly and in
high heels.

12. Virtually nothing is written in English and very few people
speak the language. If you don’t speak Russian, at least come with a phrasebook
to help you get around.

13. Often times pipes for water and gas are above ground! This
makes it easier to repair them if needed.

Apples are reputedly to originate from Kazakhstan

Babushkas selling apples at the train station

14. Apples are reputedly to originate from Kazakhstan and there
are still wild apple forests in the country. Almaty, whose old name 'Alma-Ata’
means 'father of apples’ in Kazakh, has claimed the honour of being birthplace
of the apple for more than a hundred years.

15. Corruption is an unfortunate way of life here and all the
drivers who helped us out complained about the police. By the way it’s better
to pay them off than get ticketed.

16. About 0.5% of the population are of Korean descent. Many women
of all ethnicities set up market stands selling Korean salads and pickled
vegetables. We loved making a lunch from these delicious offerings and the
spicy carrots were amazing!

17. Most of the country is extremely flat and barren. This is the
famous “steppe” (semi-arid and generally without trees, this area is extremely
hot in summer and very cold in winter).

Sports In Kazakhstan

Sports In Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan consistently performs in Olympic competitions. It is
especially successful in boxing. This has brought some attention to the Central
Asian nation, and increased world awareness of its athletes. Kazakhstan's city
of Almaty submitted twice bid for the Winter Olympics: In 2014 and again for
the 2022 Winter Olympics. Astana and Almaty hosted 2011 Asian Winter Games

Boxer of Kazakhstan

WeightLifter of Kazakhstan

FootBall Team

Forest and Wildlife of Kazakhstan

The steppes of Eastern Kazakhstan in Altyn Emeil National Park

The Kazakh Steppe or Kirghiz Steppe ecoregion, of the Palearctic
Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Biome, is a vast region of open
grassland in northern Kazakhstan and adjacent portions of Russia, extending to
the east of the Pontic steppe and to the west of the Emin Valley steppe, with
which it forms part of the Eurasian steppe.

The saiga's distinctive face

Siberian roe deer

Russian tortoise

Mongolian gerbil

Animals that can be found in the
steppes of Kazakhstan include the Saiga Antelope, Siberian Roe Deer, wolves,
foxes, badgers, Mongolian gerbils and steppe tortoises.

Kazakhstan food and national meals

kazakhstan-people-national-food-kumis

First of all the guest of Kazakhstan family regaled with kumiss
(the drink based on mare milk), shubat or airan, next meal was tea with milk or
cream, baursaks, raisins, irimshik, kurt. Then the guest was tasting
horse-flesh or mutton snacks - kazi, shuzhuk, zhal, zhaya, sur-et, karta,
kabirga. Wheat flour cookies were very common too

kazakhstan-people-national-food-kazi-karta-shuzhuk

kazakhstan-people-national-food-kuirdak

kazakhstan-people-national-food-palau

kazakhstan-people-national-food-besbarmak-meat

18. The country is nominally Muslim, but there are few outward
signs of this. Mosques are not frequently seen or heard. The many years of
Soviet rule, when religion was downplayed, have diluted its importance in the country
as a whole.

Hazrat Sultan” – the largest mosque in Kazakhstan

Hazrat Sultan” – the largest mosque in Kazakhstan

19. The tourist industry is very much in its infancy in
Kazakhstan. There are few to no knick-knacks to buy, no Kazakhstan t-shirts
and, sadly, not a postcard to be seen! We had a very authentic, unusual
experience!

Cinemas in Kazakhstan range from draughty
Soviet survivals to modern multiplex complexes. The market of cinemas is mainly
divided between the KinoPark Multiplex Cinemas, StarCinema, Arman and smaller
players. Kazakhstan's new cinemas are usually located in shopping malls and
entertainment centers. Ticket prices are lower than those in Western Europe and
North America. In 2012, IMAX Corp. opened those two cinemas in Kazakhstan, as
the result of the deal signed with KinoPark Multiplex Cinemas in 2010.Films originally
made in English are almost invariably dubbed, not subtitled, but there is a
little shown in English

Industry in Kazakhstan:

Wheat Industry

Kazakhstan ranks second only to Russia among the countries of the
CIS in its quantity of mineral production.

Natural Minerals

It is endowed with large reserves of
a wide range of metallic ores, industrial minerals, and fuels, and its
metallurgical sector is a major producer of a large number of metals from
domestic and imported raw materials. In 2005, its metal mining sector produced
bauxite, chromite, copper, iron, lead, manganese, and zinc ores, and its
metallurgical sector produced such metals as beryllium, bismuth, cadmium,
copper, ferroalloys, lead, magnesium, rhenium, steel, titanium, and zinc. The
country produced significant amounts of other nonferrous and industrial mineral
products, such as alumina, arsenic, barite, gold, molybdenum, phosphate rock,
and tungsten. The country was a large producer of mineral fuels, including
coal, natural gas, oil, and uranium.

Oil and Natural Gas Industry of Kazakhstan

Oil and Natural Gas Industry of Kazakhstan

Mines of Kazakhstan

The country’s economy is heavily dependent on the production of
minerals. Output from Kazakhstan’s mineral and natural resources sector for
2004 accounted for 74.1% of the value of industrial production, of which 43.1%
came from the oil and gas condensate extraction. In 2004, the mineral
extraction sector accounted for 32% of the GDP, employed 191,000 employees, and
accounted for 33.1% of capital investment and 64.5% of direct foreign
investment, of which 63.5% was in the oil sector Since the breakup of the
Soviet Union, Kazakhstan has been perceived globally as a supplier of mineral
commodities, which include oil, nonferrous metals, and uranium. Kazakhstan has
been developing a rich mineral resource endowment. Intensive raw materials
production and exports have helped the economy to overcome economic crises and
ensured high rates of economic growth during the past 3 years. Kazakhstan is
mineral and resource-rich (oil, gas, commodities) and has a huge amount of
potential.

The politics of Kazakhstantakes
place in the framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of
Kazakhstan is head of state and nominates the head of government. Executive
power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the
government and the two chambers of parliament.